Trainer's Guide To Training
by blue-kazoo
Summary: (based loosely on the game "Sapphire") The story revolves around a young stubborn trainer, Alex, and her not so cool pokemon, Spinda. Can she encounter Team Aqua, confess her love for Brendan, AND somehow manage to prove to her father that she is worthy t


My first pokemon fanfic! This one revolves around the game "Pokemon Sapphire" I don't own anything! Oh, and another note: the trainer in this story does not get Treecko, Mudkip, or Torchic. This story is a little different! ^_~

-PART 1-

Alex sat in the middle of the truck, alone and unwanted...

Or, at least, that's what she felt like.

The trip to the Hoenn Region had been anything but smooth. Her father had finally been accepted as a Gym Leader in some distant town. Her mother insisted that this move would bring the family together, and Norman—her father—would be able to spend more time at home with her.

How wrong she was.

Her father had long ago selected a home, far away from Petalburg City. He had kept his business plans secret, and then, finally, he had told her mother about his job offer in Petalburg City and explained the lovely cottage-like home he had found for them.

"What is this place called?" Alex had asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll love it!" her mother exclaimed, "It's such a homey little town called Littleroot! Isn't that just the most adorable name? Aren't you excited? You'll make new friends!"

"I'm absolutely _thrilled_," Alex replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Her mother, however, hadn't caught her tone. "Oh! I'm so excited!"

Now, as Alex sat alone in the back on a moving van, various boxes and such slamming into the sides, she cursed under her breath. She didn't want to move. She loved her old home, Clark City. It was a big, beautiful city with huge lights and cars all over. It made Alex shiver with excitement when she first laid eyes on it when she was only seven years old. Now, eight years later, Alex was moving into a place called Littleroot. 

Littleroot.

The name alone made her sick.

Who names a place _Littleroot_, anyway?  
  


Suddenly, one very heavy looking box decided to collide into her right shin.

Alex stared in horror at her leg and bit her lip to stop herself for swearing. Damn box! How dare it...!! Alex touched her leg tenderly and glanced out of the small glass window at the back of the van. They had better be there. They had better... 

Steadily, the van came to a halt.

"Alexis?" her mother called from outside, "Are you coming out of there? You have to help me move some of these boxes, you know!"

Alex groaned.

"Coming..." she said half-heartedly. She angrily kicked the box away and mumbled something about life being miserable. She was nearly sixteen years old...and she didn't have a pokemon yet! Oh, but the other kids did! They left Clark City as soon as they turned ten and set off on their own adventure! And what happened with her? 

"No," her father had said, "I can't afford to let you go on your own journey..."

But he was a gym leader!

And she was stuck with the lamest pokemon as a pet...

"C'mon, Spinda," Alex called over her shoulder.

Spinda blinked blankly. "Da?"  
  


"I said _come on_," Alex repeated, grabbing Spinda's hand and pulling it along with her. She hopped out of the van and glanced around the little town, shielding her eyes. "Town?" he mumbled, "Looks more like an isolated colony..."

And she was right. There were only two houses, nay three, and one large looking building. Immediately, Alex began to move towards the building, however...

"Alexis, are you coming inside? Look at your room! You get your very own room!"  
  


(_Big surprise!_) Alex thought grumpily, (_I've _always_ had my own room...what's so special about this particular room_?)

She followed her mother inside the house, Spinda trailing behind.

* * *

"Go upstairs and see your room!" her mother pushed her forward towards the stairs while Alex stared at the huge pokemon in the living room.

"W-what are...those?"

"Those," her mother beamed, "are called Chop-its...or...Choke-its? I think it was Choke-its!"

Alex rolled her eyes. She knew perfectly well they were _Machokes_, she had just wanted to know where exactly they came from.

"Since when did we own two overly buff Machokes? We can't afford—"

"They're with the moving company," her mother smiled at them, "Aren't they so helpful?"

Alex nodded dumbly as she watched one of them throw a microwave at the counter.

(_Not very bright in the attic, but strong, nonetheless..._) she thought silently.

She trudged up the steps and stepped into her room, turning on the lights.

(_Bed...computer...all I need is right here!_) Alex thought happily as she fell onto the bed. She sighed and glanced at the desk, where a notebook lay open. Alex tilted her head to one side and stared at the notebook thoughtfully. Funny...she didn't remember even keeping a notebook...

"ALEX!!" 

Alex jumped off her bed immediately and stared at her mother in horror.

"_Look! Your father's on television from Petelburg!_"

Alex only rolled her eyes. 

"C'mon!"

Honestly, sometimes her mother acted like such a child...

* * *

  
It turns out they had only been interviewing her father as the new Petalburg Gym Leader, that was all. And to make matters worse, Alex had grumbled and complained about the fact that she had wasted 2 minutes of her life watching her father flash his teeth at the camera and talk about his extraordinary pokemon. Meanwhile, Alex looked down at Spinda and blinked blankly.

Spinda only grinned, "Da!"

Alex frowned, "Mom, when can we afford to send me to Trainer's School?"

"Soon,"

Soon. That was always the same answer.

"Go upstairs! Your father bought you a new clock, you know. It's really pretty; you should go and set it,"

Alex sighed and marched back upstairs after glancing at the Machoke one last time. How she wished she could afford pokemon... 

She couldn't even afford a measly pokeball to go catch one...

As soon as Alex found comfort in her room, however, she merely threw herself on her bed and closed her eyes. 

"Spi? Da?" 

Alex groaned when she glanced at Spinda, who was standing at the doorway curiously. "What are you doing here?"  
  


Spinda wobbled over to the pink clock hung up on the wall and jumped up and down excitedly. "Da! Da! Da!"

"Yeah, yeah. Da...whatever _that_ means..."

Alex yawned and buried her face into her pillow, ignoring Spinda's giggling.

"Da! Spinda!!"

Alex pulled herself up and propped her chin on her wrists. "You know," she said, "I think that's the first time you said your entire name,"

"Da?" 

Alex rolled her eyes. 

"Never mind..."

* * *

Alex had just moved to the town of Littleroot and already...life was _boring_. She had walked around her house four times with Spinda, inspecting the cracks and the grass. She had waved at the people aimlessly walking around, talking about non-important things. What she wanted to do, however, was to go exploring in the tall grass, where pokemon must've lived. Alex watched the grass sway back and forth intently, wishing some kind of pokemon would at least let her catch a glimpse of it. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere—

"Hiya!"

Alex screamed and jumped backwards, toppling over Spinda.

"Daaaaaaa..."

Alex groaned and rubbed her eyes as she tried to focus her vision. She blinked blankly when she saw someone's head appear over her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hiya!" he said again, beaming.

Alex nearly screamed again, but the boy only offered his hand to help her up.

"Hi..." Alex managed to say when she straightened her self. 

"Da!!" Spinda said brightly, prancing around the strange boy. He had bright green eyes and long brown hair. 

"Are you the new neighbor girl everyone's talking about? The one that came from the big city?" the boy asked quietly, smiling.

"Uh...yeah..." Alex said hesitantly. "Who are you?"

"Name's Brendan. I'm a pokemon trainer. Do you raise pokemon?"  
  


(_This kid talks to fast..._) Alex thought numbly.

"No. I've never had my own pokemon,"

"Oh? I was thinking maybe this Spinda was a battling pokemon?" Brendan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Spinda, who was now spinning in circles, giggling.

"That thing? Nah, that's my mom's pokemon. A gift from my dad,"

"Your dad's a gym leader, isn't he?!!" Brendan said excitedly, "My dad works in a pokemon laboratory! He studies them!"

"Is that his laboratory?" Alex motioned towards the big cream colored building. 

Brendan nodded and frowned, "He hasn't been back since this morning. I wonder where he could've gone..."

Suddenly, Spinda started wailing.

"Spinda?!!" Alex asked desperately. "Spinda? Where're you going?!"

Spinda ran into the tall grass, clutching his head and wailing louder now.

"Wait...c'mon!" Brendan grabbed Alex's hand and jerked her forward, the two running into the grass.

"What're we doing?" Alex whispered quietly. She could hear Spinda wailing in the distance, but she couldn't see him anywhere.

"_HELP ME!!!_"

Brendan's widened as he moved frantically forward, pulling Alex at the same time.

"What's going on?" Alex shouted urgently, "What's happening?"

"That was my dad!"

Alex gasped as Brendan continued to pull her along. 

Suddenly, the two reached a clearing.

"Brendan! Help me, please!" Professor Birch cried. A gruff looking dog-like pokemon was snarling at the man, his tail sticking straight up in the air.

"It's a Poochyena!" Brendan whispered, "I haven't caught one of those!"

"Brendan!" Professor Birch said sternly as he backed away from the pokemon, "This is no time to be adding to your collection! You have to help me! In my bag!"

Brendan frowned, "But my Junior can take him!"

"Is that what you named your Mudkip!? Just hurry up and help me!"  
  


"Alex," Brendan said quietly, handing the pokeball to her, "Do you know how to battle?"  
  


She shook her head vigorously, her eyes set on the gruff looking Poochyena ahead of them. 

"Well, I want you to use my Mudkip and take him out!" 

"...Okay..." Alex whispered as she threw the pokeball forward, "Go! Mudkip!"


End file.
